Corsendonk Christmas Ale | Brouwerij Corsendonk

0 characters.
We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters. Awesome. Thanks for the review!

In English, explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.

25cl bottle. Dark ruby-brown pour with a tan head that gives way to a sticky lacing.Smells like dried fruit, coffee, chocolate, toffee, red grapes, copper. The taste follows the same notes, bitter-sweet leaning towards sweet, with a medium body, soft carbonation and a sticky sweet aftertaste.

This beer is great. It looks dark in the glass, however sometimes you get either some yeast or coagulated proteins which seem to float in the bottle.
The mouth feel is perfect for a Christmas ale, medium to full. Not too full to overload your tongue and mouth but just enough to keep it interesting.
The flavour is superb. It has loads of dark fruit of all kinds. Sip it slowly and try to name everything you taste. I cannot get enough of this. Too bad it is only available during Christmas time.
I recommend this beer fully. Remember, this beer is not about the hops but malts and fermentation which means yeast.

This Belgian strong dark ale pours a dark brown color with a slight red tint and a thick, foamy tan head. The smell is surprisingly very mild with only hints of caramel malts and some spices. The taste is more appropriate with many of the flavors typical of Belgian beers: banana bread, coriander, cloves, plums, and some spicy snap at the finish. The flavors are certainly present, but they’re still a little more subdued than what I would expect out of a Belgian beer of this color. The alcohol is noticeable, but also a little more subdued than I would guess from an 8.5% beer though it does send a nice warmth through you. The body is medium, which again is a little lighter than I would expect from the color. Not a bad beer by any means, but a little bit disappointing based on how high the rankings are. I would just like some more punch out of it, but it is still a finely crafted beer.

Corsendonk Christmas Ale changed the color of my tulip glass to a dark mahogany producing a generous 2-finger thick tan head. The head held well and eventually formed clingy lacing. The nose was first hit with dark fruits (i.e., plums, raisins) and brown sugar (caramel) followed by nice holiday spices. The taste matches the nose almost perfectly except the spices are more predominate. The mouth feel was crisp, smooth and had a dry finish with light warmth from the alcohol, The body and carbonation is medium .

This [true] Belgian Strong Dark Ale is one nice brew for the holidays - for that matter ANYTIME!